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British holidaymakers in the Maldives have been unaffected by the civil unrest that has spread across the islands, the Foreign Office said today.

Furthermore, although the Foreign Office is now warning against all but essential travel to the capital, Malé and most of Malé Island, the warning does not extend to Malé International Airport, where most holidaymakers arrive, or to travel from the airport to the many resort islands in the Maldives archipelago.

The latest foreign office advice follows weeks of protests and rioting that led to the resignation on Tuesday of President Mohamed Nasheed, the country’s first democratically-elected leader.

Mr Nasheed says he was forced to resign by security forces. There were reports today that a criminal court in the Maldives had issued an arrest warrant for both Mr Nasheed and his former defence minister, Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu. It was unclear what charges had been brought against them.

Further reports today suggested that the unrest had spread to other islands, but none of the “resort islands” popular with tourists. The protests were focused mainly around municipal buildings such as police stations and courtrooms. There have been no reports of foreign holidaymakers being affected by the unrest.

Given the unrest, the Foreign Office has advised holidaymakers to exercise caution and to check with their tour operators or travel companies for further developments.

A spokesman for Kuoni, the luxury long-haul specialist tour operator, said it was “business as usual” for holidaymakers on the islands, which are particularly popular among honeymooners seeking uniquely idyllic retreats.

“Most visitors take a seaplane from Malé straight to their island resort,” she said. “The resorts are self-contained and are usually populated solely by holidaymakers and resort staff, so unrest is unlikely to spread there.”

The ousting of Mr Nasheed has, however, raised concerns that hard-line Islamist influence over the country’s policies will increase – a development that could significantly affect the experience of foreign visitors.

Islam is the state religion of the Maldives, and some opposition parties have begun adopting hard-line Islamist rhetoric ahead of presidential elections, scheduled for next year.

Protests against “anti-Islamic” activities in December prompted the authorities to order the closure of all the islands’ spas, although Mr Nasheed overturned the ban less than two weeks later. Many resorts in the Maldives have luxurious modern spas. Calls have also been made for the sale of alcohol to be banned on tourist islands, as well as on Malé Island.

Simon Hawkins, the managing director of Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation, based in Malé, said the impact of the president’s resignation would be difficult to assess until it became clear who would replace him.

“The previous regime adopted very liberal policies, which have opened up the country and benefited tourism,” he said. “Until the new cabinet is unveiled, it is hard to predict what impact there might be on visiting holidaymakers.

“However, all the politicians know that tourism is hugely important to the islands’ economy – they realise that a sudden switch to Sharia law would be damaging.”